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jerrysaywhaaa's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was a beautiful LGBT+ story about being in love and overcoming your trauma and inner demons. I think the chapter where Will talks to Persephone was my favorite part. I will say though the climax of the book fell a little flat compared to the build up for me, but I loved every second of their journey together. I just wish this were a series and not a standalone book. It also bugs me that Will did not bring a weapon with him on this quest, I get he’s a healer but still! It was also an interesting choice to for the narrator to switch between Nico and Will as a limited third person narrator, I think it should have been an omniscient third person narrator. Also the cut scene canoe story chapters I think would have been better just being where they took place in the story instead of throughout the book. Overall though I think this is one of my favorite books in general and in the Percy Jackson universe.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Death, and Violence
jojo_fiction_'s review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro
3.5 Stars
I love the Percy Jackson world, and with the TV show currently airing, I am falling (no pun intended) right back into my PJO phase. So I figured, what would be a better time to read the Nico and Will standalone that has been sitting on my shelf for months than this?
And like most Rick Riordan books, I breezed through this in under 2 days. The writing style was a bit different as it is also co-written by Mark Oshiro, but overall didn't make too much of an impact on my reading experience.
As for the story itself, I have a lot of thoughts, so bear with me.
The overall plot itself…was kinda weak. The threat of Nyx, who, despite being stated as being more powerful than Gaea, was underwhelming. I feel like this book was mostly for the characters and their development, which is fine! But for a Percy Jackson book, I expected just a bit more plot, or at least more stakes. (Although I'm sure for standalones it must be much harder to do so I'm trying not to judge too harshly on that.)
The main conflict of the story seemed to be between Will and Nico and them becoming more secure in their relationship (as opposed to the literal goddess of darkness) . They seemed to be annoyed at each other for the majority of the book. Their lack of trust within the relationship, and inability to see each others’ perspectives on a few things, added more to the conflict than Nyx for the majority of the book.
The real place this book shines is in its themes and in the development of the characters.
The emphasis of taking care of one's mental health (especially for demigods who have been through so much), is something that really needs to be seen in more middle grade novels.
Discussions of grief, depression, loneliness, guilt, shame, and the fear of change were all subjects that were touched on. The concept of processing grief was really a wonderful aspect of this book, as Nico, who had lost basically everyone who was important to him, was finally able to begin to work through these emotions, and learn to rely on others for support.
The concept of change was an interesting aspect to the book that I really liked. Change is difficult for anybody, things like changes in environments and situations, the change in how you view yourself, how others view you, and the ability to make the conscious choice to change. And I think for a book that focuses around two queer characters it was a fitting topic. As the conversation with Piper at the end shows, sexuality and/or gender expression is fluid and can change as you grow and there is nothing wrong with that. It was a good way to end the story with this final acceptance of change not being a bad thing, but an opportunity to grow into yourself more fully depending on your stage in life.
Since the book was focused around queer characters, the co-author, Mark Oshiro, was absolutely needed. As Riordan said on his website about the book: “It was really important to me that writing a book entirely from the perspective of two queer characters, I collaborated with a great queer author who could bring perspective, authenticity, and a different set of writing strengths to the project.”
When writing about experiences that are not your own you absolutely need to look to outside sources who do have that experience and/or knowledge. One thing I appreciate about Riordan’s growth as a writer is that despite his rough start with proper representation, he is very open to the fact that as he now includes new characters from a variety of backgrounds, sexualities, and genders, he reaches out to those who can help him portray these characters properly.
I can't finish this review without including my one big critique of this book. Which is an issue with consistency which can be seen in other Percy Jackson books. In Son of Neptune, Bianca is said to have chosen to be reincarnated, which leads to Nico finding Haze and helping her leave the underworld. But in this book, during the last dream Nico has, she tells him that she is in Elysium. In this book the change allows for Nico to receive some type of closure. However, in regards to how that impacts the overarching story, it complicates it a lot. If Bianca never chose to be reincarnated, Nico would have tried to bring her back from the dead instead of Hazel as he claimed to have tried. I am confused on how this plot line could have slipped through the cracks, but in terms of how it affects this standalone, it's not too big of a deal.
In conclusion, I did enjoy this! Going back into the world of demigods made me feel very nostalgic, and the book was fun for what it was. I wouldn't put it on my list of favourites, but overall I think it was a fun read with important messages.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Eating disorder, Abandonment, and Outing
islaeggs's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was incredible, I loved it!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Death
mollymoo1234's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Just amazing , it’s a story ultimately about acceptance and it’s just done in such a delicate and beautiful way and just yeah I loved it . Enjoy xx
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Child death, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
scrubsandbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
My personal feelings about this book: I was confused at first. I read the audiobook so maybe the narration was hard to decipher between characters but the POVs flip flop between both characters within chapters and I don't think that's really helpful. Maybe it would have been easier to read the hardcopy. The flashbacks and flashforwards were also hard to keep track of initially too.
But, I rounded up half a star from 3.5 to 4 because this book is so important in the general sense. A middle grade book written by a beloved middle grade mythology writer featuring queer teens. Not only do those teens navigate rough patches in their relationship during this harrowing journey into Tartarus (which is NOT easy to do when one of you is the son of Apollo) but they openly feel their feelings. There is no hesitation when it comes to conveying their emotions which might be one of the more healthier depictions of mlm queer teen romance I have ever read in a book.
I know a lot of reviews here say this reads like fanfiction and maybe it does somewhat, but so what?? It doesn't take away from the importance of Nico's journey with his own demons and his relationships with the people around him who he has both loved and lost or love but are still there. There's also a calico cat that can turn into a sabre-toothed tiger, and that itself deserves a few stars.
But, I rounded up half a star from 3.5 to 4 because this book is so important in the general sense. A middle grade book written by a beloved middle grade mythology writer featuring queer teens. Not only do those teens navigate rough patches in their relationship during this harrowing journey into Tartarus (which is NOT easy to do when one of you is the son of Apollo) but they openly feel their feelings. There is no hesitation when it comes to conveying their emotions which might be one of the more healthier depictions of mlm queer teen romance I have ever read in a book.
I know a lot of reviews here say this reads like fanfiction and maybe it does somewhat, but so what?? It doesn't take away from the importance of Nico's journey with his own demons and his relationships with the people around him who he has both loved and lost or love but are still there. There's also a calico cat that can turn into a sabre-toothed tiger, and that itself deserves a few stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Violence, Grief, and Mental illness
Moderate: Blood and Outing
styxx's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Abandonment, Death of parent, and Grief
hayleyvem's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Confinement, Grief, and Torture
Moderate: Blood, Eating disorder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Homophobia, Body horror, and Death of parent
robertjspradlin's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, and Violence
Moderate: Outing and Abandonment
Minor: War and Eating disorder
annahamburger's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Mental illness, Abandonment, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Self harm, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Body horror
Minor: Homophobia, Stalking, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, and Panic attacks/disorders
_tabby_'s review
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Okay so I LOVED this book and I was so excited for the release. A book that focused on Nico as an individual (rather than having his own side quest and doing stuff behind the scenes within the main plotline) was an addition the pjo series needed. I'm so happy uncle Rick is giving his most interesting side characters their own development and own series that focus on them as the main character rather than an accessory.
Nico was an obvious (yet very welcome) choice for this development in the pjo universe.
Nico and Will have been beloved characters for a good while within the series and I love how this book draws attention to both the harmonies and hardships of their relationship. It isn't afraid to show how they sometimes clash as individuals but both have an understanding that it doesn't make or break their relationship. If anything: their differences complete one another.
However
It took me a while to get through simply because it was co-written. And while that wasn't a bad thing nor is it a deal breaker: I'm so used to and fond of Rick's writing style that it was sometimes jarring when Mark Oshiro was writing instead. I know, from friends that have read this book, that it isn't an issue for most people. But to me I found the two authors have different writing styles (especially when it comes to describing settings or emotions) so I sometimes found it hard to get into long reading sessions of this book as the difference broke up the chapters quite a lot to me.
Mark Oshiro was nevertheless an incredible choice of co-author for Rick to make as I did enjoy his individual writing style but I think (since I'm very comfortable with Ricks writing style and I find it easy to read) it simply took longer to read/ follow than a normal Rick Riordan book for this reason
Nico was an obvious (yet very welcome) choice for this development in the pjo universe.
Nico and Will have been beloved characters for a good while within the series and I love how this book draws attention to both the harmonies and hardships of their relationship. It isn't afraid to show how they sometimes clash as individuals but both have an understanding that it doesn't make or break their relationship. If anything: their differences complete one another.
However
It took me a while to get through simply because it was co-written. And while that wasn't a bad thing nor is it a deal breaker: I'm so used to and fond of Rick's writing style that it was sometimes jarring when Mark Oshiro was writing instead. I know, from friends that have read this book, that it isn't an issue for most people. But to me I found the two authors have different writing styles (especially when it comes to describing settings or emotions) so I sometimes found it hard to get into long reading sessions of this book as the difference broke up the chapters quite a lot to me.
Mark Oshiro was nevertheless an incredible choice of co-author for Rick to make as I did enjoy his individual writing style but I think (since I'm very comfortable with Ricks writing style and I find it easy to read) it simply took longer to read/ follow than a normal Rick Riordan book for this reason
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Child death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Violence